"And public policies which take cue from such explanations ... do not focus on societal conditions which may have given rise to the phenomenon."

The first suicide attacks happened in the 1970s, but it wasn't until 2003 when the world - or Iraq, specifically - endured a massive spike in incidents.

Prof Hassan believes suicide bombing is mostly a desperate action to right social wrongs.

Making efforts to improve human rights - such as the treatment of refugees - would halve the number of suicide attacks, he forecast, pointing out the treatment of Abu Ghraib prisoners in Baghdad led to another spike in suicide attacks.

Suicide bombers were spurred on by the humiliation suffered by those in their community, he said.

Most believed their lives were worth less than the collective's honour.

It would be impossible to stamp out suicide attacks unless real changes were made to improve social conditions in countries around the world, Prof Hassan said.